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Nubia German from Donna Wernecke Elementary and Denise Rodriguez from Hidalgo Early College High School won the Region 1 Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the year award and were honored at the Texas Teacher of the Year luncheon in Round Rock.
Presented by the Texas Association of School Administrators on Oct 20, the Region 1 Education Service Center is part of a state-wide system of 20 regional education service centers. Region 1 encompasses all three Valley counties along with Willacy, Brooks, Jim Hogg, Zapata and Web.
German, born and raised in McAllen and a graduate from McAllen Memorial High and legacy institution University of Texas Pan American said she has been at Sharyland ISD since 2007 and has loved it ever since. She is currently a second grade bilingual teacher teaching all subjects.
“As a teacher you want to be able to do your own thing,” German said. “You want to be able to be trusted in your abilities and in what you are capable of doing. And here they have always … been really good to me.”
Referring to Donna Wernecke as a home away from home, she said it is a place that she has grown tremendously in her job and in life.
Being nominated for the Region 1 elementary teacher of the year for the last 16 years, German said it was a blessing to finally win it.
She said last year was a difficult time in her life and the timing of the award was emotional and felt wonderful for her co-workers to tell her she deserved it and it was a long time coming.
Not realizing the magnitude of the award, she said it hit her all at once at the event with the other 19 elementary teachers being honored as well.
“I didn’t think about it that way because I do what I love every day,” German said, getting emotional . “I give myself to these kids on a daily basis and I do it out of love. And I do it for my God because that is my purpose.”
Describing her teaching style as fun, German calls it teaching with her heart by using various methods such as singing, dancing, group activities and Kagan strategies. Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures is an educational business specializing in providing teachers with developmental and educational resources.
Rodriguez, born and raised in Las Milpas, said she is a proud graduate from Hidalgo ISD, UTPA and UTRGV. Currently an English teacher, she has previous experience teaching special education from 9th to 12th grade.
She said to be recognized and to be around all the other awarded teachers was a great honor.
“It was awesome seeing the similarities and also the different things that they do and bring to the table,” Rodriguez said. “We got a chance to see that at dinner. Everybody shared a little bit of their story. So, it was just really nice to learn about that.”
Rodriguez said her teaching style focuses on establishing a classroom culture. Making sure students are comfortable in where they’re learning is the first step for her to get students to buy into whatever they are learning.
“Once we establish, you know, the relationship, the positive classroom culture that I want them to have in there, then I feel like they’re able to open more to the learning,” she said.
One way that helps create a positive student-teacher relationship is her students knowing she also graduated from Hidalgo Early College High School and grew up in the same area.
“I can relate to them and that’s one big thing that helps us create a bond right away,” Rodriguez said.
Another is supporting her students outside of the classroom by attending their extracurricular activities.
“I try to make … my presence known and let them know that they’re important to me and what they do is important, and a lot of them see that and they’re able to buy in,” She said.
Both were asked what is one thing they want people to know about teaching.
“Public education holds worth,” Rodriguez said.
Growing up and going to school in the same community that she now teaches is her way of giving back to the community and shows how public education can have lasting impacts.
German said teaching is a difficult 24/7 job. From working on weekends for the week ahead to dressing up as students’ favorite book characters, she said it is the little things that make a big difference in a child’s day.
“We have to be mom,” she said. “We have to be a counselor. We have to be a nurse. We have to be everything. We are everything to that child.”
“We spend most of our day with a child that is not ours. And we give them as much love as we do to our own. So I would love for everybody to know that.”
